Stevie Wonder Lets His Voice Be Heard By Boycotting Florida And Other 'Stand Your Ground' State Shows

The singer is protesting against the not-guilty decision against George Zimmerman by protesting the Sunshine State and other states that impose the 'stand your ground' law

Stevie Wonder is, like many other Americans, extremely ticked off over the 'not guilty' decision given to George Zimmerman in the 2nd degree murder case against the unarmed, African American teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida earlier this month. Rather than take to the streets and react violently to the court verdict like so many others have, the Motown legend has taken a much more responsible approach and instead decided to boycott the state of Florida on any future tours of the United States in a sign of protest.

Stevie is using peaceful protest to show his disappointment towards the Zimmerman case

During his performance at the Festival D'Ete De Quebec in the Canadian city of Quebec this Sunday (July 14), the legendary singer-songwriter chose to make a stand and pleaded with the audience to come together and do the same by showing a united front against the state of Florida and any other state that imposes the 'stand your ground' law that was in part responsible for Zimmerman's acquittal. He told the audience, in an announcement that was met with cheers from across the crowd; "I decided today that until the 'stand your ground' law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again. As a matter of fact, wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world."

Given that his announcement with rule out up to twenty other states that impose the controversial law, including California, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Texas, this will make any future tour by Stevie somewhat difficult in a logistical sense, but in a sign of protest, it makes perfect sense. In the United States, the stand-your-ground law states that any person can lawfully use any force they deem necessary as a means of self-defence when face with reasonable belief that they may be victim to an unlawful threat, without an obligation to retreat first.

"The truth is that — for those of you who’ve lost in the battle for justice, wherever that fits in any part of the world — we can’t bring them back," he continued. "What we can do is we can let our voices be heard. And we can vote in our various countries throughout the world for change and equality for everybody. That’s what I know we can do."